Short Takes

Edward Serotta read Basya Chaika's life story for the first time a few weeks ago.
Sitting in his Vienna office, he learned how Chaika, a 16-year-old loyal communist at the end of 1943, had served on a secret military tribunal in Kiev, sentencing to death Ukrainian traitors and collaborators who had worked with the occupying Nazi army.
An employee of Serotta's Central Europe Center for Research and Documentation had interviewed Chaika, who still lives in Kiev. Serotta was editing her story.

An American-born, former Israeli commando became the first victim of terrorist hijackers on Sept. 11, when he tried to protect an American Airlines stewardess, according to a report in Israel's top daily.
While the heroes who wrested control of United Airlines Flight 93, bringing the plane down in an empty Pennsylvania field, have been recognized from the start, the tale involving Danny Lewin has not been told.

The faith may be different but the politics are the same.
That's the bottom line when Evangelical Christian leader Rev. Jerry Falwell cohosts a huge prayer meeting to support Israel with Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert next month at Falwell's church in Lynchburg, Va.
The event, called the "Jerusalem Prayer Summit," is designed to show support for Israel and raise money for terrorism victims in Jerusalem, according to press reports.

Ah, the memories of the first day of school. New classes. New friends. New security searches.
In Israel, ever more security-conscious because of ongoing Arab terrorism, lines of students waiting to go through metal detectors at the school is front door offer a vivid lesson in current events.
Many schools have hired private security guards, aware that perpetrators of the intifada seek out crowded places for their attacks.
Here, students enter their school in Ramla, where Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to mark the beginning of the school year.

Ah, the memories of the first day of school. New classes. New friends. New security searches.
In Israel, ever more security-conscious because of ongoing Arab terrorism, lines of students waiting to go through metal detectors at the school's front door offer a vivid lesson in current events.
Many schools have hired private security guards, aware that perpetrators of the intifada seek out crowded places for their attacks.
Here, students enter their school in Ramla, where Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to mark the beginning of the school year.

People flocked to religious services and other forms of psycho-spiritual support in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. But several months later, it was widely reported that synagogue and church attendance had dropped down nearly to pre-9-11 levels.
But among Jewish alcoholics and drug addicts, synagogue and 12-step meeting attendance remained much higher months after the terrorist attacks than it was before.